Warm, funny and heartbreaking in places. I became very fond of the three main characters and found myself willing Norman to succeed in his quest (and in his life).

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Such a brilliant book loved the characters and storyline. I was sad when the story ended.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Whilst it does involve humour, this book is not funny. It is heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal portions, and you will cry and smile, rather than laugh.

The book begins with the utter devastation of a vulnerable 12 year old boy after the tragic death of his best friend leaves him both grieving and trying to hold up the weight of the world in the form of his mum’s happiness and his friend’s (and his own) dreams.

We see the story from Norman’s point of view and also from that of his mum, Sadie, who is struggling with her own mental health and self-esteem issues and feels completely helpless in the face of Norman’s loss when she hasn’t processed her own. The memories they both have of Jax explain why though – his effervescent, ebullient approach to life infuses every page and makes him another main character despite him dying before the first page.

The story takes us on a tour of Penzance, Bournemouth, Barnstaple, Edinburgh and Swansea with Norman and Sadie as they attempt to look after each other, make new friends and follow Norman’s dreams with dogged persistence and trepidation respectively.

I found it sad to see how Sadie’s issues with herself contaminate her view of her son, to the point that she loves him dearly but has no faith in him at all, and was glad that she was able to develop as the story progressed and recognise her own needs. And I was horrified at the little Edinburgh sub-plot that saw a 12 year old roaming the streets alone and being led into the local crime scene by a mysterious and completely irresponsible stranger!

The story ends with a warm, hopeful glow, as the main characters come to terms with themselves and each other, and look forward to a new, brighter future, but I was still left with a lingering sadness for them too, and for the lovely Jax who couldn’t be there with them.

Definitely one to read if you are looking for ‘all the feels’.


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Lovely story. Heartbreaking, heart warming and lovely all at the same time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publishers for the privilege of reading this book for my honest review

3★
“There’s a good chance Norman’s father is one of four people. Now I know how that makes me sound, but it’s a fairly reasonable alternative to the other scenario, which is that he would quite possibly have been one of several more if circumstances had allowed.”

Sadie is the single mother of twelve-year-old Norman Foreman. They live in Cornwall, where Norman was a pretty lonely kid until he and wild child Jax became inseparable best mates when they were six. They loved comedy shows and jokes. They had a Five-Year Plan, much of it devised by Jax, to develop a comedy duo and perform at the Edinburgh Fringe when they are fifteen.

Past tense. The book opens pretty much at Jax’s funeral. He didn’t make it to twelve, not because he was wild, but because he had asthma. Norman, on the other hand, has the most miserable case of persistent psoriasis, which underlies much of the story.

Sadie always put up with very naughty Jax because he had a certain lightness about him and laughed a lot and made Norman laugh. The two boys were never bored. Now though?

“Because who the hell am I, if not Norman’s entire family?”

And why the name Norman with a surname like Foreman, if you didn’t know you were naming half a prospective comedy duo?

“I named my son Norman because there was nobody to tell me not to. And because I liked it. That could have been my first mistake and, who knows, maybe I would have listened if someone had told me that Charlie or Harry or Freddie might be a lighter load for a kid to swing on to his back and carry around for an entire lifetime.”

Now without Jax, Norman is beginning to wonder about who his father might be. Sadie’s never given it a lot of thought, because she was something of a wild child herself at uni. How would she ever remember names, let alone track anyone down?

Enter Leonard, the elderly janitor at the car yard where Sadie works. They share a quiet smile every day when Leonard secretly, silently, gives the finger to the bullying boss who takes such pleasure in insulting Leonard every morning. Only Sadie can see the gesture.

Chatting one day about her predicament, Leonard offers to help. It turns out he may be old (eightyish?), but he’s no newbie.

“Iris and I were selling the first Tandy TRS-80s out of our shop before most people in Penzance even knew what a personal computer was.”

The hunt is on! It's a road trip with Leonard's spreadsheet of names, an itinerary, and his complete command of Google maps. I liked the premise of the story and the characters. A lot was improbable, but that didn’t bother me. Some of the people they meet along the way are a bit over the top, too, but they added a little colour.

I was really expecting to enjoy this one, and I’m sorry to say I ended up skimming just to see where their trip went, how far they got, and who they found.

The author had a lot of fun with phrases she may have collected over the years.

Sadie:

“When I saw him walk into the café, 2007 picked me up and slammed me right back against the wall without even shaking my hand.”

She was watching Norman pack something carefully.

“He caught me looking and straight away he arranged his face into a smile for my benefit. It didn’t quite make it to his eyes, though, turning off down a side street at his cheekbones and slipping off into the neck of his crumpled T-shirt to have a quiet drink alone in a bar.”

While it’s an interesting description, the bar reference seemed a little out of place when talking about a twelve-year-old.

Many, many readers love this book, so don’t let me put you off. I just get cranky when I think stories are dragging or writing is getting too clever and “writerly” (as I think of it). Norman is a lovely kid, Sadie is a loving mum, and Leonard is a good new friend. You might get a kick out of the road trip. I can't give it more stars because I actually considered abandoning it a couple of times.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the preview copy from which I've quoted.

What an unexpected treat of a book! As an avid reader, it's so nice to find a book that is a little different; poignant and funny at the same time. I loved the dual narrative with the voices of Norman and Sadie and the different perspectives they gave us, as well as the way both characters developed and learned about themselves. The addition of Leonard was a lovely balance as well. All of the supporting characters worked and I defy anybody to say they would read this book and not hope for a happy ending. This book was really not what I was expecting and I actually left it for a while before I read it - but when I started, I couldn't put it down and read it in a day.

Sweet and charming but ultimately failed to enchant so a middle of the road review and rating. Main frustration was that I didn’t find the writing and anecdotes amusing, so the events and dialogues that were meant to amuse mainly just dragged by

A lovely, light hearted read with likeable characters. It was nice to read a story with views of heartbreak and personal growth from a young child.

This is not my usual genre but having read the blurb decided it was well worth a go. And I’m so pleased I read it. I loved the quirky characters and simply didn’t want the book to end. Highly recommended

A heartwarming and touching tale of a young boy coming to terms with the death of a friend. A wonderful story, beautifully written with great characters.

10 year old Norman Foreman, with his best mate Jax Fenton, has a five year plan to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. But one day, Jax dies and Norman is bereft. His comedy deserts him and his dreams are in tatters. Can his mum, Sadie, help him find a way to get to Edinburgh, and possibly find his dad too?

I tried really hard to get into The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman, but it was a struggle. Somehow, the characters didn’t spring to life off the page, and the plot just didn’t interest me enough. I quickly realised that I wasn’t interested enough to care who his father was, or what happened in Edinburgh.

Sorry, not a story I enjoyed,

I absolutely loved this book and found the coming of age story of Norman, very touching. I adored the relationship he has the people in his life, especially his mom and found the style of writing and descriptions, extremely touching. I welled up quite a few times.

Touches upon how children deal with grief and how this can affect all aspects of their life and those around them

I find the best books make me laugh and cry in equal measure and this book certainly did that

This is such a random book! I picked it purely on the cover but I wasn't disappointed. The story itself is predictable in parts but also funny and quirky too. Recommended.

What can I say about this book that would express how beautiful story it is?

I have not come across such a book since reading A Man Called Ove. It is both heartwarming and comedic, heartbreaking and hopeful. There is so much dichotomy between all the characters that Norman meets on his journey and how each one adds something more to him. I do not want to spoil this book for anyone so leave my review at this, brief but highly recommended. This was a warm and fuzzy read for me.

We all need a bit of humour in our lives, especially when living through a pandemic. The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman gives us that humour and like all the best comedies it runs alongside tragedy.
Norman and his best friend Jax have a 5 year plan that leads to them being the next great comedy duo, the next Vic and Bob or Morecambe and Wise.
But when Jax dies just before Normans twelfth birthday his plans are changed as he is left grieving for his friend. His single mum Sadie sees that his new plans involve him finding his dad and playing at the Edinburgh fringe. So Sadie, not knowing exactly who the father is, decides to help Norman fulfil his dreams.
Sadie and Norman, wIth an elderly work colleague Leonard, set off on a road trip from Penzance to Edinburgh, with stops on the way to try and find Normans dad.
I thoroughly enjoyed rooting for Norman and his mum in this feel good book that’s full of great characters, wit and charm.

There appears to be an awful lot of books in this vein at the moment.

Norman and his best friend Jax have a plan to take their comedy act to the Edinburgh Fringe. Jax, however, puts a massive spanner in the works though when he dies. Norman wants to pay tribute to his friend by continuing with the plan and continuing on to the festival. Unfortunately though, Jax was the funny one.

On top of this, Norman also wants to find his father. A man who he has never known.
Sadie, Norman's mum, will do anything for her son and she is determined to do anything that she can to make him happy again so she decides to help Normal get to Edinburgh and, putting her own past behind her, she'll help him to find his father too...even though she herself doesn't know who he is.

I thought this was a pleasant enough story and read it without the struggle to pick it up as I expected to. The main reason that I enjoyed this so much was the relationship between Norman and Sadie and I loved that Norman was so young.

A real feel good book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is a book to warm the cockles of anyone's heart. The plot was original and engrossing, and the characters were very realistic. I loved the natural progression of Norman and Sadie's emotional journeys, and there were great discussions of grief and mental health. It's also great to see a book focused on comedy - very hard to pull off well! A lovely read.

This was one of the most feel good books I've read in 2021. A beautiful, life-affirming and uplifting story that cannot fail to capture your heart.

Norman Foreman is 11 years old. He lives with his Mum Sadie, and despite living in excruciating pain every day, he never complains. He sees the good in everyone and has the biggest heart. But his heart breaks when his best friend Jax dies suddenly. They had plans to be the next big comedy duo and take their show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Sadie has felt like a failure as a Mum, so when she sees Norman's wishlist (get to Edinburgh and find his Dad) she vows to step up and be the Mum he needs. With a lot of help from friend Leonard, they set off on a journey that is to transform all of their lives.

Meeting and making new friends along the way, there are adventures a plenty. Norman will make you smile, cry and want to throw your arms around him. Sadie is brilliantly vulnerable and so much more than she thinks she is.

A brilliant read that will draw the reader in from the first chapter and not let go until the very last word. A triumph!

Running away or running towards? A tender trio: mum, son, and 80-year-old Leonard who "wields a duster and a bottle of Domestos" at the local used car lot like he's been "entrusted with the upkeep of the Rosetta Stone." Off on a road trip in a 1971 teal Austin Maxi. Relying heavily on skills learned at "every free adult education course the Penzance Community College offered." Leaving behind the sudden death of the "Rolls-Royce" of best friends. Trying to find a dad (he could be one of four people). Hoping to fulfil a dream at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The rawness of grief, exposed. Crippling fears, faced. Salvation found through wit and warm humour.

#thefunnythingaboutnormanforeman is #juliettahendersonauthor's debut novel. It fizzes and sparkles with determination and love. As Jaz would say, it's "right on the money".